Defense Career

Biography

As a rookie in the 2018 season, became the first Chargers rookie to be named a starter in the Pro Bowl since 2005 (LB Shawne Merriman), receiving the most votes at the FS position in the AFC.

Recognized by The Associated Press as a first-team All-Pro at S and a second-team All-Pro at DB, joining CB Desmond King II (first-team DB and second-team PR in 2018) as the first Chargers in history to be named an AP All-Pro at two positions.

Named All-NFL, All-AFC and All-Rookie in 2018 by the Professional Football Writers of America.

Joined King (4.0 sacks as a rookie in 2017) as the only DBs since 1997 to post at least 3.5 sacks in their rookie season.

Became the first DB in NFL history to register three sacks in the first four games of his professional career and the first DB in a non-strike year since 1983 to post two sacks and an INT through the first three games of his career.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

As a rookie in the 2018 season, became the first Chargers rookie to be named a starter in the Pro Bowl since 2005 (LB Shawne Merriman), receiving the most votes at the FS position in the AFC.

Recognized by The Associated Press as a first-team All-Pro at S and a second-team All-Pro at DB, joining CB Desmond King II (first-team DB and second-team PR in 2018) as the first Chargers in history to be named an _AP_ All-Pro at two positions.

Named All-NFL, All-AFC and All-Rookie in 2018 by the Professional Football Writers of America.

Joined King (4.0 sacks as a rookie in 2017) as the only DBs since 1997 to post at least 3.5 sacks in their rookie season.

Became the first DB in NFL history to register three sacks in the first four games of his professional career and the first DB in a non-strike year since 1983 to post two sacks and an INT through the first three games of his career.

2018: Selected to his first Pro Bowl as the top-voted FS in the AFC…Recognized as a first-team All-Pro (S) and a second-team All-Pro (DB) by The Associated Press…Coupled with CB Desmond King II, the two were the first Chargers in history to be named an _AP_ All-Pro at two positions…Named All-NFL (S), All-AFC (S) and All-Rookie (S) by the Professional Football Writers of America…Started all 16 games at S, recording a team-high 109 tackles (79 solo) to be the first Chargers rookie in history with at least 100 tackles (coaches totals)…Posted 3.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, three INTs and 15 passes defensed…Became the first DB in NFL history to register three sacks in the first four games of his professional career (since sacks became an official statistic in 1982)…With two sacks and an INT through the first three games, became the first DB in a non-strike year since 1983 to do so…Joined King (4.0 sacks as a rookie in 2017) as the only DBs since 1997 to post at least 3.5 sacks in their rookie season…Became the first defensive rookie since OLB Zach Brown in 2012 with Tennessee to record multiple INTs and at least 3.5 sacks…Started at S in both postseason games…Recorded 14 tackles (10 solo) and three tackles for loss…Awards: Pro Bowl Selection (First)…The Associated Press First-Team All-Pro (S)…_AP_ Second-Team All-Pro (DB)…Professional Football Writers of America All-NFL (S)…PFWA All-AFC (S)…PFWA All-Rookie (S)…NBC Sports (selected by Peter King) Defensive Rookie of the Year…Pro Football Focus Defensive Rookie of the Year…PFF Second-Team All-Pro (S)…PFF All-Rookie (S)…Pro Football Journal First-Team All-Pro (S)…PFJ First-Team All-AFC (S)…PFJ First-Team All-Rookie (SS-Flex S)…vs. Kansas City (Sept. 9): Made his NFL debut, appearing on 56 defensive snaps and four on special teams after opening the game at S…Posted a team-high six tackles (five solo)…Added a zero-yard sack of QB Patrick Mahomes in the second quarter to force a punt…Made a diving effort to break up a would-be TD to WR De'Anthony Thomas at the start of the second quarter…Just two plays later forced a Kansas City punt by sprinting past the offensive line to flush Mahomes to his right before chasing him down for the zero-yard sack…at Buffalo (Sept. 16): Recorded eight tackles (seven solo) and two tackles for loss, including a six-yard sack…Added a pass defensed on a diving play while defending TE Charles Clay on a seam-route…On the sack, sprinted untouched into the backfield by the RT to spin QB Josh Allen down for a six-yard loss…In the first quarter, forced Allen to step up into a sack by LB Uchenna Nwosu for Nwosu's first career sack…On the following series, burst through a block attempt by TE Logan Thomas to bring down Allen for a six-yard loss before he could hand the ball off…at Los Angeles Rams (Sept. 23): Posted nine tackles (seven solo)…Added two passes defensed, including the first INT of his career…On the pick, broke on the ball to undercut a pass intended for TE Gerald Everett, returning the INT four yards…Became the first NFL DB in a non-strike year since 1983 to post two-plus sacks and an INT in his first three career games…vs. San Francisco (Sept. 30): Continued to re-write record books, finishing with seven tackles (five solo), a 10-yard sack, a tackle for loss and two passes defensed…The sack gave him three on the season, making him the first DB in NFL history to post three-plus sacks over the first four games of his career…On the sack, brought down QB C.J. Beathard after the passer was flushed out of the pocket to his left by DE Melvin Ingram III…In the first quarter, broke up a pass that was intended for RB Alfred Morris when he came untouched off the edge and leaped in the air to bat the ball down in the backfield…Hit Beathard as he threw the ball in the fourth quarter, beating OL Garry Gilliam with a speed-rush, resulting in an INT by DE Isaac Rochell…vs. Oakland (Oct. 7): Recorded five tackles (four solo)…at Cleveland (Oct. 14): Registered five tackles (four solo) and a half-sack…Posted 0.5 tackles for loss…Split the sack with NT Damion Square in the first half…On the play, beat the block of RB Carlos Hyde to force QB Baker Mayfield to scramble and kept pursuit to bring down Mayfield with Square…Added a 20-yard kickoff return…vs. Tennessee (Wembley Stadium, Oct. 21): Recorded eight tackles (five solo)…at Seattle (Nov. 4): Set a single-game career high with 11 tackles (four solo)…at Oakland (Nov. 11): Registered nine tackles (five solo) and a pass defensed…In the first quarter, stopped WR/RS Dwayne Harris on a jet-sweep on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line to force a turnover on downs…Earlier in the game, showed off his athleticism by sprinting untouched from the left side of the formation to bring down RB Doug Martin from behind on an off-tackle run to the right…vs. Denver (Nov. 18): Posted seven solo tackles…vs. Arizona (Nov. 25): Registered seven tackles (five solo)…Broke up three passes, including an INT that he returned three yards…Became the first defensive rookie since 2012 (OLB Zach Brown while with Tennessee) to recorded multiple INTs and at least 3.5 sacks in their rookie season…On the play, dropped off a route where he was covering FB Derrick Coleman to pick off a pass intended for WR Christian Kirk…In the first quarter, dove to deflect a pass to TE Ricky Seals-Jones at the goal line to force a Cardinals field goal…at Pittsburgh (Dec. 2): Posted three tackles (two solo) and four passes defensed, including an INT that he returned 23 yards…Trailed TE Vance McDonald in coverage, picking off the underthrown pass in the second quarter…Became the first player with three INTs and three sacks in a single season since 2016 (Pittsburgh LB Ryan Shazier and New York Giants S Landon Collins), and the first rookie since Zach Brown in 2012…Late in the first half, tipped away a pass intended for McDonald on a seam-route to force a Steelers field goal…Provided a big hit on WR Antonio Brown along the sideline to prevent Brown getting two feet down in-bounds, wiping out a 24-yard gain…vs. Cincinnati (Dec. 9): Posted seven tackles (six solo)…at Kansas City (Dec. 13): Was one of seven Chargers defenders to play all 60 defensive snaps…Started at S, posting five tackles (four solo)…Added four plays on special teams…vs. Baltimore (Dec. 22): Recorded six tackles (four solo), becoming the first Chargers rookie in history with at least 100 tackles (coaches totals)…Added a pass defensed, diving to knock away a pass on third-and-six intended for TE Hayden Hurst, forcing a Ravens punt…at Denver (Dec. 30): Started at S and posted six tackles (five solo)…at Baltimore (AFC Wild Card, Jan. 6): Part of a defense that set team postseason records for the fewest single-game net yards allowed (229), including a record 69 in the first half, which was the fewest allowed in a postseason game since the 2006 AFC Wild Card…Posted five solo tackles and a tackle for loss…Made his NFL postseason debut, appearing on all 61 defensive plays and four special teams snaps after starting at S…at New England (AFC Divisional, Jan. 13): Posted a postseason single-game career-high nine tackles (five solo) and two tackles for loss…Started at S and played all 83 defensive snaps, joining S Rayshawn Jenkins as the only Chargers defenders to do so…Appeared on seven special teams plays…In the first quarter, exploded past the line to drop RB Sony Michel for a one-yard loss…In the third quarter, combined with Melvin Ingram to tackle RB Rex Burkhead for a one-yard loss…vs. NFC (2019 Pro Bowl, Jan. 27): Started at S, becoming part of the first trio (WR Keenan Allen and Melvin Ingram) of Chargers to participate and start in the Pro Bowl since 2007…Saw action on offense and defense, finishing tied with a team-high three solo tackles…Added a tackle for loss on a two-yard sack when he came up to stop a scrambling QB Dak Prescott in the fourth quarter.

COLLEGE: Played three seasons (2015-17) at Florida State, missing the 2016 season due to a knee injury…Posted 183 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 19 passes defensed and three INTs for his career…In 2017, named a consensus All-American, including first-team honors from the Football Writers Association of America, and first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference after starting all 12 games and posting 84 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two INTs, 13 passes defensed and a sack…Added a blocked kick in 2017, preserving a win against Syracuse by getting a piece of the game-tying field goal attempt at the end of regulation…Twice named ACC Defensive Player of the Week in his career…As a freshman in 2015, named the Seminoles' Defensive Most Valuable Player and shared the Hinesman Team MVP with DE DeMarcus Walker…Named third-team ACC by media members and was a Freshman All-American from Sporting News and USA Today…Recorded 91 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, five passes defensed and forced two fumbles as a freshman, good for the third-most tackles by a freshman in school history.

PERSONAL: Given name Derwin Alonzo James Jr. …Born in Winter Haven, Fla. …Participated in Relay for Life in college…Former Tampa Bay RB Mike James is a cousin…Enjoys playing Madden in his spare time…Studied criminology at Florida State…High School: Played at Haines City (Fla.) High as a junior and senior after transferring from Auburndale (Fla.) High…Ranked as a five-star recruit and the top safety in the nation by ESPN, Rivals.com and Scout.com…Participated in the 2015 Under Armour All-America Game and helped Team Highlight to a 46-6 victory…Led Haines City as a senior with 94 tackles and four INTs…Added 11 receptions for 181 yards (16.5 avg.) and two TDs in 2014…Named first-team All-State and second-team American Family Insurance All-USA as a senior…Lettered four years in basketball and four years in football.

CAREER NFL TRANSACTIONS:

2018 Selected by Los Angeles Chargers in the first round (17th overall) of NFL Draft, April 26…Signed rookie contract, June 4.

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